Brazil v Holland Betting Preview

Written by Dave Allan Tuesday, 29 June 2010 17:24

Betting Odds

Five time winners Brazil take on Holland with a place in the World Cup semi final the prize for the winners. Neither side has been at their attacking free flowing best, but with some of the best players from Europe's top leagues on display in Port Elizabeth the game has all the potential to be a World Cup betting classic.


To be fair to Brazil they looked much more like the Brazil we are used to watching during the 3-0 win over Chile. The Samba Kings looked deadly on the counter attack and this was summed up when Robinho curled in Brazil's third goal after a superb run from Ramires.


Ramires came in to the side for the injured Felipe Melo, but despite an impressive display will drop out of the side after picking up his second booking of the tournament. Dunga will be hoping that if Melo can recover from an ankle injury. Elsewhere Dunga is still sweating over the fitness of Elano who has missed the last two matches because of a similar ankle injury.


If Elano does miss out again, then Barcelona defender Dani Alves will once again be deployed in a more advanced role. Alves has impressed during his last two outings, and could even keep his place if Elano recovers.


Key to Brazil's hopes will be how influential playmaker Kaka performs. He has hardly set the tournament alight so far but his through ball that set Luis Fabiano clear for Brazil's second goal showed the immense quality that the Real Madrid man has, and it is surely only a matter of time before we see the best out of him. However he is one more yellow away from missing the semi final should Brazil get there.

Holland on the other hand produced another effective display in their last 16 game against Slovakia, and despite a late scare they never really looked like getting beat. Holland haven't produced the free flowing football that we expected from a Dutch side, but now that they Arjen Robben has returned to the starting line up, expect the customary 'total football' to return.


Robben came in to the side for Rafael Van Der Vart against Slovakia and expect coach Bert van Marwijk to leave the Real Madrid man again. Robben's inclusion meant that Wesley Sneijder could be played in his more favoured central role, and with both Sneijder and Robben scoring, a change seems unlikely.


With players like Robben and Sneijder you would expect the Dutch to play like a typical Holland side, but in truth they are a lot more workmen like than sides from the Cruyff era. Van Marwijk has assembled a group of players who work hard for each other, even if they aren't as exciting to watch as previous Dutch sides.


But with Arsenal striker Robin van Persie up front the Dutch will always be a threat. Van Persie reacted angrily to be substituted against Slovakia, but Van Marwijk has insisted that there is no problem between the two, and this should mean that AC Milan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will once again start on the bench.


Given the nature of both coaches to win rather then to entertain, there is the worry that both sides will cancel each other out. But with the players on display, there is too much class for this to be a dull affair.


The worry for Holland will be the lack of pace amongst the back four, with players like Giovanni van Bronckhorst not looking the quickest anymore. Having said that with Brazilian fullbacks Maicon and Michel Bastos always looking to get forward, Robben will be a big player on the break for Holland. But you you just feel when you weigh things up that Brazil edge in terms of quality, and if all goes to plan, they should be on course for their sixth World Cup.

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